Abstract:

Comparison on the effect of two teaching methods (online hybrid and face-to-face) was made on grade outcome of non science major students taking four credit hours physical science courses at Bowie State University. The courses were offered with the same content: all course materials and assessments posted online, through Blackboard/ENGEL learning management system. Both groups had to attend lab experiments in presence: the main difference being that students enrolled in the face-to-face courses also attended three lecture classes in a week. The enrollment capacity of face-to-face courses is a maximum of 26, while that of online hybrid classes is 70. The overall assessment on pass and fail proportion of students as well as indications from letter grades distributions from data collected from three semesters indicated that there is no statistically significant difference between the two teaching methods in terms of students pass and fail grades. Results show that the online method is adequate for large sections with no detriment to outcomes.